CLEMSON – Not every button Dabo Swinney pushes turns out to be the right one.

After officially announcing that Wes Goodwin would not return as Clemson’s defensive coordinator last Monday, Swinney openly admitted that in hindsight, the hiring of Goodwin three years ago might not have been the right decision.

“It just didn’t work and that is my fault,” Swinney said on Wednesday from the Smart Family Media Center. “It’s as simple as that. It’s not his fault. That’s my fault.”

At the same time, that didn’t stop the head coach from expressing his gratitude for the effort that Goodwin put in over his three years running the Tigers’ defense.

“I want to say, like I said in my statement, how much I love Wes Goodwin and his family,” Swinney added. “I am thankful for the job that he did. Unbelievable work ethic. Nobody worked harder than Wes.”

The Tigers are coming off their seventh appearance in the College Football Playoff. Four times Swinney’s team has competed for a national title, twice winning it all.

With that kind of success Clemson over the past decade, Swinney firmly understands the expectations that are in place.

“We’ve created a high standard and high expectations,” Swinney said.

“My job is to make sure we are doing everything we can to be the best version of ourselves. Year in and year out.”

With Goodwin not returning, Swinney went out and hired Tom Allen away from Penn State to fill that role. Allen is one of the most respected defensive coaches in the country, meaning this time, the longtime Clemson head coach is confident he’s pushed the right button.

“I do what I always do, I do what is best for Clemson,” Swinney said. “You make a lot of decisions in this type of position. I have made thousands of decisions since I got this job 16 years ago. And we’ve made a lot of good ones. But sometimes you don’t make the right decision. We all learn from those things.”

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